Arizona’s Children Association kinship service providers invited to present at the CWLA National Conference

As kinship care continues to be a primary and valuable option for children who cannot live with their parents, emphasis on kinship care policy, practice, and research is necessary to continue to enhance services and supports for kinship caregivers and families.  The Child Welfare League of America’s (CWLA) National Kinship Care Conference is being held this week in Louisiana to highlight the field’s collective knowledge of best practice, policy, program and service development for kinship caregivers, and identifies areas for further research.

Arizona’s Children Association kinship service providers were one of only seven kinship programs throughout the nation invited by CWLA to present at this national conference.  Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) has developed a strong reputation nationwide as one of the key providers of valuable kinship services, in large part due to AzCA being one of few agencies chosen to receive a three-year federal grant in 2012. Arizona Kinship Support Services (AKSS) is a program of AzCA in partnership with the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS), Administration for Children Youth and Families (ACYF), and DES Family Assistance Administration (FAA). The overall goal of the federal grant is to improve services for children being raised by kinship care providers by assisting caregivers in meeting their family’s needs, promoting public/private partnerships to meet those needs and increase safety, permanency and well-being of the children in kinship care. AzCA kinship service providers will present on the progress and impact of services since the beginning of the grant period.

To learn more about AzCA’s kinship support services, visit us online at www.arizonakinship.org.